The Northern View, May 09, 2012

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◆ Gitga’at report leak from sunken US war ship...

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◆ Celebrating the contributions

of Women in Business... PAGES 13-20

◆ Scenes from the first cruise ship of the season... PAGE 30 WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012 Proudly serving the North Coast - The eNVy of the North www.thenorthernview.com 250-624-8088 VOL. 7 NO. 19

Feature Property

BC ANNUAL UNDERWAY…

#50 CHARLIE CURRIE ROAD For Sale:

$

220,000

This Warehouse Building has approximately 4200 square feet of usable area and is located within the Cow Bay Development Area. This property is within close proximity to the Yacht Club and Cruise Ship dock waterfront areas. The site is level with a partially paved area in front and features 2 excellent loading bays. The lot size is approximately 1/2 an acre ( 0.499 ) in size and the site is also easily accessible from the downtown core and Yellowhead Highway. Call Gordon @ (250) 624-9298 for the all of the additional details regarding this property and for your appointment today!

Gordon Kobza Broker/Owner

Office and Cell: (250) 624-9298 Email: info@gordonkobza.com • www.gordonkobza.com Suite 6 - 342 3rd Ave W. Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1L5

Martina Perry photo

The BC Annual Dance competition is now underway at the Lester Centre of the Arts for the remainder of the week. For more photos from the event, see page 11.

CHECK OUT OUR SATURDAY DOOR CRASHERS SPECIALS! See our ad inside

PRINCE RUPERT 250-624-4357 250-624-4357 Toll Free 1-855-604-4357

◆ PORT TAX CAP

City council looks at options for port tax By Alan S. Hale The Northern View Prince Rupert city council is now considering its options for what to do about the cap on port property taxes that the provincial government recently made permanent in their last budget. But exactly what action it will take – if any – will have to be discussed in the weeks to come. Prince Rupert resident David Russell came to the council meeting last Monday and asked councillors why they weren’t doing more to convince the province to have the cap repealed. “Is there anything we can do about this? I can’t imagine the Alberta government going to Fort McMurray and saying ‘oh, you can’t tax the oil companies on this land any more than this amount of money.’ Why are we being limited,” asked Russell.

The cap prevents the City from raising property taxes on port businesses any higher that $27.50 per every $1,000 the port property is assessed as being worth. While the province does give the City a payment designed to make up for the tax they are not allowed to collect from port businesses, it is a fixed payment of $1,490,251 and is not adjusted regardless of whether the port’s property values go up or down. “The amount we get as a top-up from the provincial government is not what we believe that property is worth,” said councillor Joy Thorkelson. The result has been that a six per cent drop in the 2012 market value of the City’s heavy industry properties – most of which are port properties – cost the city $164,000 in tax revenue because they weren’t allowed to increase the tax rate to make up for it. City Staff had to make up for the

shortfall with cuts to this year’s municipal budget in order to prevent raising taxes on residents. This doesn’t sit well with Russell who says he’s seen the assessment on his property value fall by $16,000 over four years, but because of yearly tax rate increases he is still paying more property tax every year. “I feel taxed to the hilt and everyone I talk to feels the same way; they cannot believe how overtaxed we are up here. Yet we have this fantastic natural resource in the port, but we seem to be limited in how much we can use it for our own benefit – for everyone’s,” said Russell. The cap on the port’s taxes is not new. It has been in place in its current form since 2004 and before the province decided to make it permanent it wasn’t slated to expire until 2018. See port tax cap Page 2

HOME OF: * WORK BC Employment Service Centre * Job Options BC * North Coast Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society * AFFNO

Funded in part by:

* Skills Connect for Immigrants * Training * St John Ambulance (training and Àrst aid supplies

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL US AT 250-624-9498


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